Kerang Lakes - Part 3 Back to Lake Tutchewop

After searching for the 'alleged' Long-billed Dowitcher at Lake Tutchewop this morning then spending some time at Reedy Lakes, I returned to Lake Tutchewop late this afternoon for one more attempt at the Dowitcher.

The water level had dropped even further this afternoon but there were still lots of birds to be photographed including Australian Pelicans, Australian Shelduck, Caspian Tern, Silver Gulls and several species of small waders hanging around at the water's edge.

Australian Pelican, Australian Shelduck, Caspian Tern, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Stint
Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/32 1/100

Australian Shelduck + Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/16 1/125

Australian Pelican, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/22 1/200

Masked Lapwing, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/16 1/125

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper + Silver Gull, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/16 1/100

Nothing close to shore though...and no Dowitcher! There were several other people at the site also Dowitcher hunting. They were a little more gung-ho than I am (well, a lot really) about searching the vegetated areas (two of them walked straight through the waist high vegetation) so if the bird was there it was definitely not going to show itself. Rather than get into an argument over habitat destruction, flushing birds and the dangers of snake-bite, I decided it was time to leave. Not quite willing to give up yet, I drove to nearby Lake Kelly, the only other lake in the area with wader-suitable shallows around the lake shore. A slow scan of the shore line from two vantage points found nothing resembling a Dowitcher but I did get the chance to get reasonably close to a feeding Red-necked Avocet. There were several of them feeding along the shore with Banded Stilts but getting any closer to the others would have meant walking along the lake shore with no cover and I didn't want to chance disturbing the birds just for another shot.

Red-necked Avocet, Lake Kelly, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000

As I was driving out, a Nankeen Kestrel flew into a tree by the roadside so first a shot from the car window...

Nankeen Kestrel (female), Lake Kelly, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000

then out of the car for a closer look/shot.

Nankeen Kestrel (female), Lake Kelly, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/4000

So, I dipped on the Long-billed Dowitcher but I am confident I gave it my best shot on the day. I have seen this species before (in North America) so I was was not too devastated to have missed it but it may be the only chance I get to add it to my Australian list. Overall, though, happy with a great day of birding.

A day on Phillip Island

I spent today on Phillip Island, primarily visiting friends and the National Vietnam Veterans Museum (if you have not been there, go!) but found some time for birding at a few of my favourite locations.

Fisher's Wetland
This is a great place for birdwatching and easily accessed from the road to Churchill Island Heritage Farm via walking tracks, boardwalk and viewing platforms. Birds commonly seen at the wetlands include ducks, swans, geese, coots, grebes, pelicans and swamp hens. This morning most of these were clustered on several small islands in the middle of the wetland

Eurasian Coot, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

but a few Black-tailed Native-hen provided closer views (albeit fleeting - these birds are rarely still and seem to have a much lower tolerance for humans than their close relatives, coots, swamp hens and moorhens).

Black-tailed Native-hen (adult and juvenile), Fishers Wetland, Phillip Island

The island's population of Cape Barren Goose has grown rapidly in the past decade and this is one of the best places to get up close and personal with them as they appear to be quite undisturbed by people. 

Cape Barren Goose, Fishers Wetland, Phillip Island

The Boulevard, Summerland

The 'back road' along the south coast from the Nobbies to Summerland (access is from the Nobbies car park and is one way for most of the way to Summerland) has several pull out points with lookouts providing panoramic views of Bass Strait and the basalt cliffs and rock platforms of the Phillip Island south coast. These lookouts also present great opportunities for viewing and photographing birds in flight as several species of gulls and raptors exploit the updrafts along the cliff face to propel them along the coast.

This male Nankeen Kestrel (males have pale grey crown and tail; in females the head and tail are rufous-coloured like the back and shoulders) was roosting on a rock outcrop just near Seagull Rock. I've seen kestrels on exactly the same location several times before. As I was walking up the road to get a better view with the sun behind me, the bird took off and flew past and just below me giving this great close-up view.

Nankeen Kestrel (male), Seagull Rock, Phillip Island

The Silver and Kelp Gulls usually found at Seagull Rock lookout were all roosting on the rocks far below, so I moved on towards Summerland where I found several Pacific Gulls and one surprise flying past the lookout.

Pacific Gull, Summerland, Phillip Island

...the highlight this morning was this Little Raven - not a view you often get of these striking birds.

Little Raven, Summerland, Phillip Island

Kitty Miller Bay

The combination of beautiful weather, surf and the 'long weekend' meant that most of the usual beaches I visit to look for shorebirds were heavily populated with human tourists today so I opted for a stop at the beautiful Kitty Miller Bay. This bay is surrounded by rocky reefs so does not have the attraction of the surf or easy access for swimming but is a great spot for a fossick among the rocks and for birds along the shore.

There were not many small shorebirds on the beach today but a small flock of Red-necked Stint did allow me to get fairly close;

Red-necked Stint, Kitty Miller Bay, Phillip Island

in fact, I almost tripped over two of them while I was stalking this Eastern Great Egret

Eastern Great Egret

The strong wind was playing havoc with the usually beautifully groomed plumage

Eastern Great Egret, Kitty Miller Bay, Phillip Island

but did give me the opportunity for a few shots of the egret leaping around, wings spread.

Easter Great Egret, Kitty Miller Bay, Phillip Island

A pair of Kelp Gulls landed nearby

Kelp Gull, Kitty Miller Bay, Phillip Island

and sat on the water, posing for photographs.

Kelp Gull, Kitty Miller Bay, Phillip Island

Kestrels

Taking the back roads across to Colac this afternoon, I passed the Wurdiboluc Reservoir, south-east of Winchelsea (see map), and noticed a pair of Nankeen Kestrels in a tree just near one of the pedestrian entrances.

There's very little cover at the reservoir so I couldn't get much closer but a pair of fisherman walking along the track past this tree flushed the birds and one landed on a sign closer to me.

Nankeen Kestrel (female), Wurdiboluc Reservoir

and then again flew over my head to land in another close tree.

Nankeen Kestrel (female), Wurdiboluc Reservoir

A kestrel in the wind

I drove along the back road past 13th Beach this afternoon and spotted several Nankeen Kestrels hovering along the dunes in the strong on-shore wind. I pulled into the "Boings" (or, somewhat less poetically, 35W) car park and extracted the camera from the back of the car, crossed the road to the top of the beach access stairs and waited for the bird, which was now hovering just above dune height a few hundred metres away, to glide back towards me. It didn't disappoint.

I never cease to be astounded at how these birds can hover, completely motionless in strong winds.

Nankeen Kestrel, 13th Beach

Occasionally, the bird would swoop down closer to the beach, dropping below the horizon line and providing an opportunity to grab a shot that I've had in my head for several years--a hovering kestrel with an out of focus surf in the background--but, unfortunately, this is what I usually end up with:

My tracking of the fast moving bird is never good enough to keep the bird in focus, so the auto focus picks up the background...one day :-(

On one swoop, the bird dropped into the dune grass and came up talons filled with something. I can't quite work out what it is but I think its a grasshopper (along with a few blades of grass). Whatever it was, the bird did not eat it but continued hunting further along the dunes, probably saving it for young back at a nest.

Nankeen Kestrel, 13th Beach

More at the WTP

Following the Pratincole encounter and the Glossy Ibis, I headed further along the beach track to the Lake Borrie outlet where I found a pair of Cape Barren Geese at the location at which I photographed (what I presume is) the same pair 18 months ago. The larger bird posed nicely for a portrait shot

before charging its mate...

but a bit of butt sniffing...

and it all ended happily

Cape Barren Goose, Western Treatment Plant

under the watchful eye of this Nankeen Kestrel.

Nankeen Kestrel, Lake Borrie Outlet, Western Treatment Plant

It was high tide by the time I got to the bird hide so there was not a lot of activity there but I did manage to get a good view of some pelicans flying over the bay against dark clouds but lit by a bit of sunlight that broke through the overcast behind me.

Australian Pelican, Western Treatment Plant

One last stop at Paradise Ponds on the way out yielded a close-up of a lone Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Western Treatment Plant

and a large mixed flock of Red-necked Avocets and Banded Stilts, mostly feeding in the shallow water

Red-necked Avocet, Western Treatment Plant

Banded Stilt, Western Treatment Plant

but some roosting on the mudflats on the northern side of the pond.

Red-necked Avocet + Banded Stilt, Western Treatment Plant

Oriental Pratincole at WTP

I had not been out birding for 10 weeks and for much of this time, while overseas, I had been reading reports of an Oriental Pratincole (a bird I'd never seen before) being seen at the Western Treatment Plant. So, despite the weather report of cold, windy and overcast conditions, I ventured out this morning in quest of the elusive Pratincole.

I'd had some good clues as to where to find it so headed for the Western Lagoons but it was nowhere to be seen. However, persistence did pay off. After waiting for 15 minutes, it did a flyby for about 30 seconds before heading over to Austin Road. I only managed a few (really bad) shots but I'm glad I saw it :-)

Oriental Pratincole, Western Treatment Plant

Another 30 minutes of waiting proved fruitless so I headed for the Beach Road entrance and was rewarded with views of six raptor species (Nankeen Kestrel, Black-shouldered Kite, Swamp Harrier, Brown Falcon, Whistling Kite and Little Eagle) during the 10 minute slow drive along Beach Road, with the first two close enough to the roadside to photograph out of the car window.

Black-shouldered Kite, Beach Road, Western Treatment Plant

Nankeen Kestrel, Beach Road, Western Treatment Plant

The Beach Road pond provided good views of a single Glossy Ibis feeding among Purple Swamphens

Glossy Ibis, Western Treatment Plant

Glossy Ibis + Purple Swamphen, Western Treatment Plant

along with several Royal Spoonbills flying around

Royal Spoonbill, Western Treatment Plant

...continued